Many of us think of engagement as a state in which students behave well, answer questions on cue, are engaged in some sort of assigned activity, appear busy, are quiet, undistracted, and there isn't a cell phone in sight. In many ways, we still structure our classrooms and speak with students as if we value compliance and the look of engagement more than true engagement.
Below, Ellin Keene is interviewed by Tom Newkirk about what true engagement is, how to recognize it, and the importance of modeling it in our classrooms.
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Learn more about Engaging Children at Heinemann.com, and get involved in the discussion on the Engaging Children Facebook Group!
Ellin Oliver Keene has been a classroom teacher, staff developer, non-profit director, and adjunct professor of reading and writing. For sixteen years she directed staff development initiatives at the Denver-based Public Education & Business Coalition. She served as Deputy Director and Director of Literacy and Staff Development for the Cornerstone Project at the University of Pennsylvania for four years. Ellin works with schools and districts throughout the country and abroad with an emphasis on long-term, school-based professional development and strategic planning for literacy learning. She serves as senior advisor at Heinemann, overseeing the Heinemann Fellows initiative and is the editor of the Heinemann Professional Development Catalog-Journal.
Follow her on Twitter @EllinKeene